Your punishment has already been executed

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. 1 Timothy 1:8-11 NIV

This morning I woke up and it was like God whispering into my ear saying "the law is for the lawless"... I knew exactly what verse He was talking about and I immediately started to think... "NO I don't want to write about this verse...!"

You see, I believe these is one of those verses in the Bible that can be used for good as well as for evil. While I'm no Bible scholar, perhaps you will allow me to share some thoughts about this very difficult verse.

Why do I say it is difficult? To start with, the word "homosexuality" appears in today's verse. Immediately, the readership is potentially divided into two and now this very blog post is at the risk of alienating one person or another. No matter what your thoughts might be about homosexuality, can you hang in here with me for a while?

I chose to focus on the word "homosexuality" in this verse because it can be such a divisive word when it comes to "religion". The sadness of it all is that this passage really has nothing to do with that. Yet, taken out of context (as the devil is good at doing) the verse can be used to condemn people who might not be thought of as fit for "the church."

When read in context of the previous verses, what the Apostle Paul is trying to do with this letter is settle the record straight with "false teachers." Those are teachers who teach a gospel of works. You do this, you do that and you are saved. In other words, follow the law and you are saved. This kind of thinking leads people astray and away from the true Gospel which points to a Savior. Someone who saves you despite who you are instead of the effort to save yourself by keeping rules.

It's ironic that Paul's writing which is meant to free us from the law, is used to bind us to it even further. Please don't misunderstand my choice of words when I say "free us from the law." I didn't say we now have license to do whatever the hell we want! What I meant is that Paul's words are meant to free us from condemnation.

Back to false teachers: I remember the book series "Left Behind" as it featured a pastor who was left behind after the "rapture". Throughout the story, the pastor realized what he had done wrong. He was left behind because he did not REALLY believe in the Gospel of a Savior but taught the Gospel of works which is totally dependent on the law. This is really Paul's central theme of his message.

When you look at the list of sins it's not just about "homosexuality". This is an all inclusive list. He covers ALL of humanity with his list and to make sure, at the end he says "whatever else". In other words, if you think you are good enough to escape this list, consider anything else you do that you KNOW is against God. If you say you don't sin, you are deceived.

Paul's specific point in doing this is to point the reader to God's plan to save us (the lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious) and without a Savior, we are reduced to just that. With a savior, even though we deserve death, we are free in that our debt is paid for and because of that, God does not see our sinful nature, he sees HIS purity in all of us.

Let me close with this simple analogy to explain how I see the true Gospel Paul is talking about. Maybe it can help you too:

When you come to your "judgment day" you find yourself in a court room. In this court room you find a VERY SMALL guy with lots of notes. He is yelling in the court, going through a litany of "violations." You realize that he is talking about YOU. You are all the sudden reliving all of the wrong choices you made in your life, all of your transgressions, your lies, EVERYTHING. You suddenly realize this is the DEVIL and you are amazed at how little and un-intimidating he really is. Yet, his words continue to pierce your heart and you realize you are in a hell of a desperate situation as the judge is intently listening to his words.

That's about when you notice Jesus next to you. He is calmly waiting for the devil to finish. Finally, after a hellish account of your actions the devil says "I rest my case". Then Jesus gets up, calmly, and says "Your honor, may I submit the 'Book of Life' as Exhibit A? There you will find the defendant's name. As you see, his transgressions as so eloquently put forth by the devil have been already prosecuted and paid for. Therefore, the defendant's record is clean without any blemish. I ask that you dismiss the accused immediately."

That's the true Gospel. You believe in a Savior. Someone who can do what YOU CANNOT do. He kept EVERY aspect of the law and was sacrificed for you. He took your place in death so when you hear the painful account of all your wrong doings, you can be confident that He will step in to declare that your punishment has already been executed. Now imagine the alternative, arguing with the devil, trying to justify your existence. Trying to make a case that your "good deeds" outweigh the bad ones.

Now it is up to you, it's your choice. Do you trust yourself to keep up with a litany of rules, traditions and religious activities in order to save yourself? Or do you want to rely on faith that the little child "Emmanuel" which we celebrate during Christmas came to us to serve as our stand-in for the punishment we deserve?

If your choice is the latter, its really easy. Romans 10:9 says: "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Whatever your choice, I would love to know.